In a world that sometimes feels like it's going to hell in a handbasket (and the handles of the hand-basket are ratty and chafing), Life in the Boomer Lane invites you to step back and ask the following: "What kind of world to we want for our grandchildren?" LBL's own answer is "One that is better, in many ways, than this one."
Let's start with a topic close to LBL's heart, the environment. She would say, "With all due respect to legislators who consistently avoid taking action on environmental issues...," but she has no due respect for them. They, and some of the titans of industry and media have seen fit to present a version of what is happening to the environment that is based, not on a concern for the planet, but rather on a concern for the money it would cost to clean it up. Let's face it: Taxpayers would have to pay. Big business would have to pay. And, since any legislation that negatively affects wallets is deemed wrong from the get-go, it's a lot easier to either deny that the problem exists or mire it down in endless discussions of whether it exists and, if so, to what degree.
While this goes on, the planet reacts. Weather systems become increasingly violent and erratic. Species go out of business. Food shortages start showing up. Political upheaval becomes more and more a matter of a fight for resources, masked as religious and political discord.
If you love to garden, know that the characteristics of your garden have already been impacted. If you walk, you are seeing fewer species of plants and trees. If you travel, the topography you are looking at is changing. If you engage in any number of pastimes that older Americans enjoy, know that you do so in a fragile environment. You may not be aware of it, but the changes are occurring.
We of the older generation watch and are appalled. If we have done nothing to take a stand for the welfare of our grandchildren and for the grandchildren of others, then what is it we have been doing with our lives? There is only one recourse, and that is to take action.
On September 9 and 10, Grandparents Day, The Elders Climate Action Committee of Conscious Elders Network will bring elders from across the country to DC, to talk to our political leaders about taking a strong position on stopping the runaway train of climate change and carbon emissions, and preserving the richness of the environment for our grandchildren and future generations. We will advocate for specific legislation that independent research shows is best for the climate as well as our economy.
We need your help. We need feet on the ground on that day, to go to the Capitol and speak with lawmakers. We need bloggers to blog, social media-types to social mediate, churches and temples to join in, and anyone who cares about the welfare of the planet to spread the word. PLEASE don't just read this and move on to something else. Your grandchildren are depending on you.
Visit Elders Climate Action and join. Please "like" and "share" the Elders Climate Action Facebook page. Email LBL at lifeintheboomerlane@gmail.com and let her know you are taking stand.
If you come to DC to be a part of the day, stay with LBL. How can you turn down that opportunity? She will show you the actual desk she sits at and the laptop she uses in order to spew the words across cyberspace that then cause you to spew your coffee. At the very least, email her and she will answer any questions you may have about the events of the day and about visiting DC.
Let's use our power and our commitment to make this a better world for our grandchildren and all the generations that follow.